This week I sold off the last couple of pieces of virtual show equipment that I had. I’ve slowly been getting rid of stuff, like my foot pedals, and I finally sold my ATEM mini and my Stream Deck. Those two things were the two pieces of hardware that really made doing virtual shows easy (from a production standpoint). If I ever need them again, I can buy them, but I haven’t touched them in a year and I used them two times in the year before that.
I can still do live virtual shows, it’s just that the level of production won’t be what it was in 2021. Recently I gave a presentation to the Kids Entertainer Academy and the only piece of tech that I used was my projector to put my notes on the wall.
Virtual shows can still be done with just OBS running on my laptop and have a level of production, so if anyone wanted one, I could still do it.
A while ago I had an idea to host a zoom session about performing for seniors. It’s been a while since I’ve done any meaningful performing on zoom, so it was a little bit stressful. I did need to redownload and relearn the basics of using OBS (production program).
With all of the technical stress, the nice thing about giving presentations on Zoom is that I can tape my notes to the wall behind my computer! Also with this not being a show, I didn’t feel the need to dig out the backdrop or set up all of the lights.
My goal with the zoom session was to solve problems, not really as a lecture. There were a lot of questions and a topic that came up a couple times was the best way to contact senior communities. For me the best way to do that is with postcards or letters. While it may or may not be the method with the highest closing percentage, for me it’s the most efficient. I can spend less than an hour total and have a couple hundred postcards in the mail, where using phone or email will take a lot longer than that. With email, unless you already have a complete and up to date list, this can be fairly time consuming!
Another topic that came up a couple times is what to bring into a senior show and what type of material to do. My show fits in a briefcase and the audio has it’s own case. The other thing I travel with is a folding step stool.
When I do seniors shows, since they aren’t the best paying gigs, I need to be able to set up and pack quickly. This show can set up in about 15 mins and pack up in about 10 mins!
There will probably be another Senior Show Zoom at some point, if you want to be updated about it, contact me and ask to be on the mailing list!
-Louie PS If you are interested in performing in senior communities and don’t have my book How to Perform for Seniors, you can get it here: https://www.magicshow.tips/how-to-perform-for-seniors-book/
